


An Ancient Guardian and a Sacred Sword

by nocturne-of-forest (annathescavver)



Series: Nocturne does Linktober 2020 [5]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Action, Gen, Linktober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:40:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27138820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annathescavver/pseuds/nocturne-of-forest
Summary: At first Link wrote off the idea of the sword being an old friend as being ridiculous. But after a harrowing fight with a guardian, he admits to himself just how right it feels to have the Master Sword on his back.
Series: Nocturne does Linktober 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1952161
Kudos: 8





	An Ancient Guardian and a Sacred Sword

Glowing magenta lights burned against the cracked red stone of Death Mountain. There was a mechanical whir, accompanied by the scramble of metal feet, and both sounds raked at Link’s ears. He dodged to the side, the hot, metallic stink of the laser filling his nose.

He kept moving, ducking behind rocks and feeling his heart slamming against his ribcage. The guardian followed, gaining ground easily as it climbed over and around the rocks in its path. The red light from its eye, that crimson that looked so much like blood, stayed trained to his back.

There was an archway just ahead. Link had no time to debate whether the thought he had was a smart one or not as he tore off his armor and threw himself behind it. There was a moment of reprieve, as the guardian paused, head spinning as it searched the clifface for him, and he used it to his advantage.

First, he frantically dug out his Sheikah Slate and selected the last fireproof elixir he had. He was burning; the hot air seared his lungs and made him feel as though flames literally danced on his skin. As he uncorked the elixir and smeared it all over his skin, he heard the scratching footsteps of the guardian drawing near.

Second, he selected the new armor he’d purchased and pulled it on. He struggled for several heartbeats, hands slipping on the armor’s many buckles and straps. Pressing his back against the stone, he craned his neck and saw the glint of sunlight on metal.  _ Oh, Hylia _ . 

His head started to spin, vision going blurry, and he felt like throwing up. Just like every time he heard the whine of a guardian’s laser, something at the back of him screamed at him to stop it, to fight back, to  _ get back up! _

Biting back the bile that rose in his throat, Link finally secured the armor and turned back to the rock archway. There were few handholds on its surface, but that was nothing he couldn’t handle.

Crouching on top of it, he allowed himself one last moment to breathe. The guardian was directly below him, magenta lights flashing chaotically. It hadn’t seen him yet.

Drawing in a deep, stabilizing breath, he drew the silver bow from his inventory and nocked the first arrow. Not an ancient arrow; no, at this angle he’d never strike its eye.

The arrow struck and the guardian’s head spun to the side, as if slapped. Another, and then more still, rained down on it. One unfortunate shot caused the guardian to retaliate and blue light flashed from its eye. Fire exploded against the archway, sending flames and smoke licking towards the sky. It was intense in its heat, and Link knew that, if it wasn’t for the sweat soaking his hair, it probably would have gone up in flames.

Link let out a short, wry laugh. Arrows weren’t working at this angle, really, so he was going to have to figure something else out. He had a few shields left - a Zora one, a rough metal one from a pack of lizalfos, and a cracked wooden one he dared not use against a guardian - and he had the Master Sword.

Then a plan came to mind. One that was probably worse than his first one.

He drew back another arrow and held it, one eye squeezed shut as he waited for the right shot. When it came, he released the arrow and it struck the guardian just right, and with just enough force, that it reeled back.

And then Link jumped.

He landed, his momentum further knocking the guardian back. His aim was true. The Master Sword pierced the guardian’s eye and easily bit through its ancient circuitry. The magenta glow grew in intensity for a few dangerous heartbeats, the light reflected on the steel blade and painting the world the color of malice.

The guardian’s head spun this way and that. It wrenched the sword out of Link’s hand. He leapt back, boots slamming against the cracked stone pathway. A moment later, there was a great squealing sound and the guardian exploded. Steam hissed from its exposed machinery and the useful bits seemed to glitter in the sunlight.

Letting out a sigh, Link felt some of the tension drain out of him. Not all of it, of course, but enough that it left him aching and feeling every sore muscle.

He found the Master Sword still embedded in the guardian’s eye. Gritting his teeth, he braced one foot against the thing’s face and pulled. It came free with a loud screech of metal. He inspected it, a sick, unexplainable feeling in his gut as he pictured it scratched or chipped, but found that its edge was as clean as before.

I n fact, the steel seemed as though it was glowing. A faint, ethereal light seemed to come from the sword itself. Link touched it, and almost leapt back at the sudden rush of power he felt. There was a sudden answering in his heart. It felt eerily like the one he’d felt when he’d first pulled the Master Sword from its pedestal.

This was his sword. His birthright.

He was that knight.

Shaking his head to clear it, Link returned the Master Sword to its place on his back. He felt better with it near him, as if he was traveling with an old friend he’d known for years. While at first he’d written that off as ridiculous, now he wasn’t sure what to think.

There was a trickle in his mind, just a distant, quiet sound, and he smiled. He gathered up the useful bits of guardian machinery and stuffed them in his inventory. Then, glancing back to see the purple handle of the Master Sword on his back, he continued up the mountain.

**Author's Note:**

> Today's prompt was the Shadow Calender's "Guardian." At first I thought I'd just write a story about a literal fight with a guardian, but then the rest happened. Fun fact, that's kind of how the fight went for me in game. I climbed up on one of the archway's in the Eldin Region and tried to take the guardian out with just arrows (yeah, like Link in the story figures, I wasn't about to waste an ancient one). When that didn't work, I jumped down and hoped the Master Sword would be enough. I mean, it wasn't, but it was pretty cool.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
